John Wayne Bobbitt, Who Had His Genitals Severed By His Wife, Amputates Remaining Toes, Blames The Military

John Wayne Bobbitt, known for the horrific incident in 1993 when his wife severed his genitals, has recently undergone a medical procedure to amputate his toes, more than three decades after the traumatic event.

At the age of 57, Bobbitt shared that the amputation was necessary due to toxic peripheral polyneuropathy. This condition is a result of his time as a Marine stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina in the 1980s when the base’s water supply was severely contaminated. The contaminated water has since been linked to various illnesses, such as cancer.

According to the Mayo Clinic, toxic peripheral polyneuropathy often manifests as weakness, numbness, and pain and primarily affects the hands and feet. It can also impact other bodily functions, such as digestion and urination.

Bobbitt expressed his belief that the government concealed the contamination for four decades. “They knew,” he told The Sun. “They were testing the water and it was like up to 3,500 times above normal safety standards.”

Bobbitt described the appearance of his feet as indicative of the painful nature of his condition, although he no longer experiences sensation due to chronic nerve damage. In addition to the nerve damage, he disclosed that he suffers from osteomyelitis, a bone infection that leads to ulcers and necessitates skin grafts. The toxic peripheral polyneuropathy has resulted in multiple surgeries for Bobbitt, with his most recent procedure which occurred in 2023, which involved the amputation of his last toes.

Furthermore, Bobbitt believes that the effects of the contaminated water likely contributed to the incident when his wife, Lorena Bobbitt, severed his penis. “I wasn’t behaving the way I should have,” he said. “Maybe I would have made better decisions if my cognitive functioning wasn’t distorted by the chemicals.”

The infamous attack occurred in June 1993 when Bobbitt was asleep and Lorena used a kitchen knife to sever his penis. She later discarded the appendage from a moving vehicle, but it was successfully recovered by authorities and reattached. The subsequent trial in 1994 thrust Bobbitt and Lorena into the spotlight. Ultimately, Lorena was acquitted on grounds of temporary insanity.

After the trial, John made appearances on several high-profile television shows. Subsequently, he briefly pursued a career in the adult film industry to make use of his reattached penis.

In a 2016 docuseries titled Scandal Made Me Famous, Bobbitt expressed his sentiments toward Lorena, saying, “We both hurt each other. I wish her the best.”

In 2018, Jordan Peele turned the incident into a docuseries, Lorena.

Lorena has since remarried and established a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting victims of domestic violence, a demonstration of her commitment to help others in the aftermath of her own ordeal.